Folding table



s. 0. OPKINS.

FOLDING TABLE.

Patented Feb. 23 1886.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

@YLXANUS C. HOPKINS, OF BOSTOIQ'MASS folding tztbles having crossing pivoted legs 1 IQJHDG ehingeil top :tdnpted to fold downwardly,

so as to protect the finished uppersurl'aces and incite a compactpackage.

My invention consists. in the" de\ combinationsof devic pendedclaiins 7 In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical. ccn- ,als ection of the spread tableflaheu at right i glesto the plane t folding; Fig. 2, an end 'ices and thetahle-top with the legsrenioved, while Figs Sand 6 show details of the invention.

A A are respectively the upper and lower sec tions of one pair of legs, and 13 B the corlres ii onding parts of the other pair.

U C represent connccting-knees,wlnieh join theppper and lower parts of each leg, that they may act as one.

The drawings rc 'iresent the upper and lower sections united by diagonal burs securely fastened to the p11 rts A and A or B and B. 11' made as thick as the two sections of the table top coinhtncd,t-hese lfillS 0 C may be straight; pieces or blocks, ut the opposite ends and to the opposite sides of which the parts oi the leg are made last. 1

l) is the pivot by which the connecting-bars ol'the crossing legs are united to fold and untold, and l-l ii are cross-pieces secured to the legs, by which the ends otthe knees C C may beheld in place and concealed. The knees may, if preferred, be secured to these crosspicces rather than directly to the legs.

\Viththo construction shown in the druwings the knees U U may shot at the point c against the edge of the piece i l, (see Fig. 1,) end form a stop to check the movement at the proper point. in like manner the shoulders u b of the opposite legit-tunes may abut for the some purpose. An advantage of this construction and connection of the parts of the legs is the increased symmetry of the table set l'orth in the ap- FOLDING TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,717, dated February 23, 1886. H Application iilcd August 1cm.

due to the fact that the corresponding upper and opposite sections ofthe legs may be uniform in contour and in precisely the same planes, transverse to the folding axes or at right angles to the plane of folding of the table. The same is trueof the lower sectionsof the legs, which are or may be identical in outline one with another, and hence a much more graceful structure is produced than would result itthc legs were continuous, cr0ssingeach other side by side and not in the same transverse plane. knother advantage is that; the legs recedc from each corner to 6 ward a point beneath the center of the table, and consequently do not obstruct the movement oipersons sitting around it,as in tables having h-gs vertical or in vertical planes.

iteW OflllG folded table, and Fig. 3 n side elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan of the under side 01.

'lh is device admits ol'great strength, and the arrangementallowsa close resemblance to the well-known fcl ltfiltldtff center-table. Thetzr hie-top is formed in two sections, F 1*",eonnectedtogether at the top and center by the hinges (1 ti. rail, ll, is secured tothe underside ot the tabletop, extending along the sides or along the sides and ends. To this rail the upper ends 01' the legs are attached by hinges l l. The top i is" may therel'ore fold downwardly between the parts A IH 01' the legs by means of the hinges ti- (Lguud I I and the pivots l.) l), and in so toldrng the structure is brought into the iuost' coinpactlorni, the up per surfaces of the table mutually protecting each other and the legs closing into parallel planes, Separnted only by the thickness of the parts 1: and i (See Fig. 2.)

The advantage of einplo ing the rail II and r hing-tug to its lower inner corner the upper outer corner of the leg-frames is obvious from Fig. .2, where the folding of these particular parts is shown to he as eoinpuetus though the inner upper corner of the legtti'aiue was hinged to the under side of the tattle direct, and from Fig. 1, where it is obvious the ar-"g rungenient adds the thickness of the rail H to the height oi the sprwtd table 'as it would otherwise be. in other words, with a given height of table greater compactness is attained in the manner stated.

To maintain the tabletop F F in proper horizontal position when spread, I provide at each end a spring-latch, K, secured to one of the abutting ends of the rail H and engaging automatically with a stud, K, on the opposite end, from which it may be detached by pressure on the projecting thumb-piece.

. Another feature of my invention is the sur- 5 face-dowel L L, Figs. 4; and 6, secured beneath the center ofrthe table-top at the line of folding and employed to retain the parts F F" in proper relative position vertically and longitudinally. It is a fixed metallic surfacebolt and socket engaging when the sections of the table-top come together and disengaging when said sections separate. The best form in which I have embodied it is shown in the drawings. The part L of the dowelhas a projecting tongue with a'depressed surface each side of it, and the part L has a recess to receive said tongue, flanked by raised projecting surfaces. These peculiarities of form permit the parts L and L to interlock; and when the table is opened or spread for use they engage and mutually support the edges of the table-leaves F and F, so thatindependent vertical or longitudinal movement is prevented,

I claim as my invention- 1. As a new article 'of manufacture, a foldingtable having its top" made in two parts hinged centrally, so as todrop downward between the tops of the legs in folding, and its four pivoted legs converging from the corners toward a. central point and diverging therefrom, substantially as shown and described.

2'. A table having a top made in two parts and adapted to fold centrally downward between crossing permanently pivoted legs, which alleonverge toward a point beneath the center of the table, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a folding table, the combination of a hinged and folding top with crossing pivoted legs formed each in two sections fastened to a central hinge-bar on opposite sides thereof, so as to bring the upper'and lower sections of each leg into different planes,and leave aspace between them equal to twice the thickness of the hinged top, into which space the two hinged sections of the table-top fold, substantially as set forth. 7

4. In a folding table, the centrally-hinged top having marginal rails H H, secured to its under surfaces in lines parallel to the axis of folding, in combination with crossing pivoted legs hinged at their extreme upper outer cor: ners to the lower inner corners of the rail, whereby increased height of the spread table or greater compactness of the folded structure is attained, substantially'as set forth.

5. In a folding table, the combination of the hinged top, formed in two parts,F F, the pivoted legs A A B B, and the connecting-knees C 0, with the cross-pieces E E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of crossingpivoted legs and top folding between them with an automatic spring lock or catch, adapted to secure the table-top in'its spread position and give horizontal support to its parts, substantially as set forth.

7. A metallic surface dowel formed in two parts, as described, adapted to interlock and to each bear upon the other both vertically and laterally, so as to support the abutting gdges of the table-top, substantially as set orth.

SYLVANUS C. HOPKINS,

Witnesses:

A. H. SPENCER, C. G. KEYS. 

